We camped at Manatee Springs State Park just before the manatees came up into the warmer waters of the Springs for the winter. I hope we can go back soon.
It was sad to see all the damage from the hurricanes back in the Fall. There were so many trees down and a lot of the camp sites were closed because of the damage.
We saw these Blue Catfish right off of the boardwalk.
They were 3 or 4 ft long! And there were a dozen or more that we could watch!
The campsites that are open are well tended but it will take years to clear all the downed trees and debris.
It's a wonderful campground with lots of wildlife wandering the campground and the river and springs are close enough to walk to, more than once a day.
That little white triangle is another Grebe that this one was chasing off!
We were happy to see that the boardwalk had been repaired. It was closed in the Spring when we were there.
Comorant
Eagle overhead!
There's such a great view of the river.
A headless Little Blue Heron!
Whew! He DOES have a head after all! lol
And this Great White Egret is trying to hide in the swamp!
I love these Cypress knees!
Isn't the Suwannee River gorgeous!
It's a beautiful place to camp or spend the day!
It's Florida in the winter time! Come on down!!!
I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE
.JPG)
42 comments:
...Diane, thanks for taking me along to see the sights. The Manatee are always a treat toi see.
its a beautiful park, and the wild life is a plus for sure
what a lovely park...and now is manatee season! Some thousands are at various Florida springs.
Fantastic and beautiful park!
An unforgettable experience!!
I'm learning about Florida from a couple of blogs I read, including yours. In my earlier life, I never thought I would want to visit there, but now I feel it would have been so interesting and fun. Since I'm too old now, I appreciate and enjoy your blog.
I never knew that catfish got that large!! Beautiful photos.
What lovely photos. The cypress knees are so cool. I knew someone who painted them to look like long santas.
So beautiful!! Thanks for taking us along!!
Looks like a beautiful campground. I would love to follow that boardwalk.
So beautiful, and we are certainly having lovely weather for being outdoors right now! You saw some wonderful sights and birds and things...all God's creation! Thank you for sharing it with us! I've never seen a blue catfish before! Very pretty!
These are beautiful pictures.
A beautiful park to stay and to camp with the camper.
Greetings Irma
You had some wonderful sightings but boy, it takes a trip like that to see what Mother Nature can do when she gets all windy and blowy!
Hello Diane,
What a beautiful park. I love the boardwalk and the view of the river and sky. The blue fish and the birds are all a bonus sighting.
The Grebe is cute and I love the Eagle in flight. The egret and heron and beautiful. Thank you for your critter post and sharing your link. Take care, have a wonderful weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
Nice campground indeed and the sidewalks are wonderful - as is the reflection in the river.
The boardwalk looks very nice. I guess the storms in your area destroys a lot. All the birds are very beautiful.
So nice being with you in these beautiful scenes. I never saw a blue catfish before! Aloha!
The swamp knees look like disgruntled birds. lol
Great pictures, the place look beautiful
Hi Diane, Thanks for taking us along to Manatee Springs State Park. I sure enjoy your photography … you definitely have the “eye” for what makes an interesting photo! Love the Cypress knees and the Little Blue Heron. Great reflections in the view of the river! Sad to hear about how much damage the hurricanes did, but happy to hear recovery is underway. Thanks for sharing and have a great week ahead! John
What a beautiful park and great photos. Nice new banner, I love it.
Splendid views. Your winter is such a welcoming season...
The blue Catfish surprised me. I like those cypress knees - they look like little creatures of some kind.
We are flying down to Fort Myers to stay at Cape Coral with youngest sister very soon. She's rented a house for a month but we will be short time visitors. Hope to see manatees and dolphins on a boat cruise.
Your Florida always appeals to me. So much natural beauty.
Beautiful birds captures!
I had to google to see what Cypress Knees were! When I first looked at your photo, my mind played a trick on me and I saw birds sitting on wood stumps!!! I can almost see eyes and a beak on the top of each Knee!
Hello Diane :)
This park looks like a wonderful place to camp and explore. Great captures of the wildlife, the river, and the boardwalk looks very nice.
All the best
Sonjia.
WoW!!! excellent images today, such a nice variety!! these big storms cause such massive damage....and you are right, it takes years to clean up and return to the new normal. it is nice to see they are well underway here. it took 10 years for us to fully recover from super storm sandy, it was a heartbreak to live though right here in our town and all of the surrounding shore towns. what a thrill to see the eagle but my favorite image today is the reflection, that's really special!!
Good morning and thank you for brightening my day your world is lovely and alive!
Great place and awesome photography ~ thanks, hugs,
Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days ~
clm ~ A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
May be a duplicate ~ sorry ~ got distracted ~
Great place and awesome photos ~ thanks, and hugs,
Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days ~
clm ~ A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Oh Diane, you saw some wonderful sights, many thanks for sharing these lovely photographs.
All the best Jan
Those "Cypress Knees" are very interesting!
Another gorgeous park to visit - thanks for taking us along! Love those blue catfish - wow! Must have been amazing to see. Great boardwalk and pretty river, indeed. Sorry to hear about all the damage, though. Enjoy your beautiful weather - snowing here and cold! x K
oooo ... I like that big blue catfish! Thank you for sharing all the beauty around you.
xx oo
Carla
Se ve precioso, me encanta. Besos.
I know that manatees are on the endangered species list. so it was nice to see these healthy ones!
wonderful views with great critters...
have a great day
the egret with a head is a beautiful image!!
Wow... the Catfish is imposant, like the other captures too. And I see, it's a lovely area there. Wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
Greetings by Heidrun
pretty Little Blue Heron ......
lovely place to have advantures
It is gorgeous!
Cypress knees!! And I was wondering what kind of strange birds THOSE are 😂😁!
It's sad when nature is destroyed - sometimes by nature itself (like heavy storms or floods), sometimes by man-made fires, deforestation, pollution... Fortunately, there are still enough beautiful things to find there, like the catfish and the birds. I would be happy if you (and we) could see manatees here too!
All the best and happy Valentine's Day 🥰😘😍, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2025/02/mit-den-rostrosen-durch-die-kalte.html
Post a Comment